ERIE, Penn – Four of the world’s elite fastpitch softball teams will collide July 27-28 in the fourth annual Ed McCormick Fastpitch Tournament, to be played at 11th and Hess.

And while four teams might not seem like a lot, it’s actually twice as many teams as currently exist in Erie’s once-thriving men’s City Rec fastpitch softball league.

That’s a far cry from the 1980s and ’90s, according to Bill Hillhouse, a world-class pitcher who has competed internationally since 1990 and who plays for the New York Gremlins, the world’s No. 1-ranked team and one of the clubs locked and loaded for the McCormick Tournament.

Fastpitch softball, Hillhouse said, used to be the game in town.

So many men wanted to play that the city had a morning league for those who worked third shift.

Now, he said, it’s a struggle to find 18 players to fill out two teams for the City Rec’s informal Tuesday evening fastpitch league.

“People used to go down to the ballpark to watch games on Tuesdays and Thursdays — that was their form of entertainment,” Hillhouse said. “But now they can stay home and watch the Indians on TV every night.

“And it’s just not softball that’s suffering. Drive by any city park and you don’t see kids outside playing. Every sport is suffering. But we don’t have the numbers to make up the difference like the other sports have.” Continue reading

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – The Black Sox will be backed by some of this country’s biggest softball crowds as they set about grabbing the world title from Australia over the weekend.

The eight-team finals system begins today, with Eddie Kohlhase’s men facing the Aussie Steelers in a double-life clash this evening. The impressive Canadians face Venezuela in the other top clash. The winners of those two games meet tomorrow, with the winner going to Sunday’s grand final at Rosedale Park in Albany.

The rebuilt ground, which can hold 3500 for these championships, is a sellout tomorrow and Sunday, and the “full” sign will very likely go up for today’s action as well. It might sound like small beer compared to major sports, but it’s champagne-opening time for softball.

“We had always hoped, but this is really beyond our dreams and makes the tournament an outstanding success,” said organising chairwoman Fay Freeman, one of the North Harbour softball stalwarts.

BRISBANE, AUS – Kere Johanson headed to Australia on a hunch that hit a bullseye.

The Black Sox infielder on four world series teams including two winners always chased the game. Even as a youthful optical technician in Palmerston North, his visions were about being a fulltime softballer.

Shortly after the 2000 world series, the Poneke-Kilbirnie stalwart headed to Perth. Within a decade he had taken charge of the Australian women’s team and assisted men’s head coach Bob Harrow in the historic 2009 world title triumph.

“I came to Australia on a lifestyle decision but thought I might fall into something with the game,” says Johanson, who received a cheeky text from Kiwi great Mark Sorenson “blaming” him for upending the Black Sox in the 2009 final.

(Newspaper reporter and columnist, and former Australian national team player, Mark Long, who also played with the Denmark, Wisconsin Dukes (1999 and 2000) in the ISC World Tournament is writing a five article series about the Aussie Steelers men’s fastpitch softball team. This is the first of his five articles.)

By MARK LONG
Camden (Australia) Advertiser

July 2010 – A year ago this week, Australia was competing at the International Softball Federation’s 12th Men’s World Championship.

Coming off the back of their first ever medal, a bronze at the previous event in 2004, the team was gaining momentum in their pursuit of international glory.

Meticulous planning and significant personal financial contributions by those involved appeared to be paying off as the event progressed.

Far from a forgone conclusion, Aussie tenacity would eventually topple the three-time defending world champions, the New Zealand Black Sox, in front of a jam packed stadium in Canada to win gold…